This 1979 Emmy-nominated six-part BBC miniseries, on three discs, provides ample narrative space to do justice to the author's intricately plotted Cold War espionage thriller. Alec Guinness won a BAFTA award for his portrayal of sidelined agent George Smiley, covertly tapped to root out a mole that has infiltrated the Circus (code name for the British Secret Intelligence Service). As Smiley digs painstakingly through the double-blind world of Cold War–era espionage and his own past, Guinness brilliantly captures the weary heart and steely soul of John le Carré's master spy.

"One of the most madly atmospheric and enjoyably literate films ever done for television."—Washington Post